Achisa

Achisa consists of six exceptionally talented young men: Thabo Matheatzie, Thembile Bam, Monde Nyamakazi, Lunga Mbethe, Suvuyo Kemele, and Sipho Mamomsi. They who grew up together at the Khayamnandi Home for Boys in the township of Langa on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. Achisa represents the aspirations of a postapartheid generation.

Simpiwe Matole, the multi-instrumentalist with Amampondo, is actively involved in encouraging and promoting local talent, and he introduced Achisa to Robert Trunz of the M.E.L.T. 2000 label. Achisa auditioned in the tiny sitting room of Simpiwe's flat, with him accompanying the boys on his piano. Two weeks later the singers were ready with their own songs, some of them written by Simpiwe, and the group went into the Milestone Studio where Sheldon Isaac took over.

Achisa's self-titled debut is sensational, incorporating hip-hop, township jive, ambient dub, reggae, traditional rhythms and contemporary technology. The album's message is one of peace for a country that's been long-steeped in conflict. —Courtesy Calabash Music